Pre departure
Choosing between mix vs study abroad
My journey began with the choice between Study Abroad and the Manoa International Exchange (MIX). I personally chose MIX due to its wide selection of universities and the independence of going on your own. Study Abroad has a more limited selection of countries and schools but you will be with a group of UH students and a UH professor. You can find which program is right for you by checking out the MIX website or the Study Abroad website.
Mix acceptance |
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In late January I got my MIX nomination! Since I deferred from Spring 2021 to Japan, I got renominated for Keio University in Japan again. Although I've always wanted to study abroad there, Japan's semester system is much different than ours which means I would have to go for a full year. I decided to go out of my comfort zone and study abroad in Korea. I got nominated to Sogang University which is a college in the heart of Seoul.
Pre-departure Online course
In February, the first step after nomination is the online course. The online course goes over the basics and what you will need to prepare in advance.
Secondary application
This is where you apply to the school you got nominated to. The application for Sogang University opened up around early April. The application was fairly straightforward with just basic information needed. The application also included the dorming application, Korean language program application, and the buddy application. I submitted my application in late-April and received my acceptance package in mid-June.
Visa
After your acceptance package, you can begin the visa process. For me, it took three tries to get it with the Korean Consulate as I was missing a document the first time and didn't have a sealed transcript the second. The documents I needed were my entire acceptance package, a bank account statement, passport, sealed transcript, and a completed visa application. The visa took about three weeks and costed $40.
Pre-departure orientations
We had a total of three orientations: the first one being specific to the country you are planning to go to, the third being about mental health abroad, and a final orientation. These orientations were extremely useful in telling you what to expect, bring, and prepare for.
Final documents
The final documents needed were a health clearance form, course approval form, a TB test (needed due to me dorming), and covid test. As for the course approval form, I just listed the classes on Shidler's pre-approved list for Sogang University. For the covid test, I went to the airport 48 hours before my flight and took my test. The process was fairly simple and it only took about ten minutes to wait for the test and finish it. I received my results six hours later.
Packing
I began packing about a week before my flight to make sure I don't forget anything. I brought up two suitcases, and a backpack. Some of the things I packed include winter clothes, my xbox (to stay busy in quarantine), laptop, toiletries, workout bands, and a folder with all my documents in each suitcase (just in case you lose a bag).